The Valdemar Legacy is a Spanish language horror movie based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, but with a name that references a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. In addition, there are several historical figures involved in the plot (most notably Aleister Crowley). Aside from this, however, the movie is also a tribute to old school horror movies (even using some rather archaic methods to scare the audience). But more on that later.

First, lets discuss the plot. It takes place on two fronts, in two different time periods. First though, the movie begins in the present with a young woman being sent to appraise the mysterious Valdemar house. Only, once she enters the house, she finds herself being attacked by some sort of creature. She escapes the house with the help of a couple of locals before disappearing completely. This prompts her boss to hire someone to try and find her. However, on the trip to the house, he is told the story of the house from a woman on a train. And this segues into the past where we are introduced to the Valdemars. They are running their house as an orphanage. Meanwhile, they are doing seances on the side. However, this last part causes them to be revealed as frauds (which results in his arrest). Ultimately, this leads to him meeting the notorious black wizard, Aleister Crowley. Unfortunately, this meeting only makes things worse but you’ll have to see the movie for yourself to see how.

To be honest, I enjoyed the movie. The movie is kind of a slow burn, and much of the horror is lost due to its old-fashioned nature. But that’s apart of the movie’s charm. However, the movie wasn’t perfect. It’s biggest flaw lies in its status as the first part of two. Basically, the film has a cliff-hanger ending once it returns to the present. As a result, it feels like a well-made prologue to--from what I hear is--a far inferior sequel. In other words, the movie would be extremely good if it worked as a stand alone movie. Though it is still worth checking out for anyone that’s interested.